Muffling attachment for violins



(No Modem W. THOMPSON.

MUFPLING ATTACHMENT POR VIOLINS.

No. 417,292.- Patented Deo. 17, 1889.

INVENTOH WTIVESSES:

N PETERS. PhnlnL UNITED, STATES PATENT OFFICE.

TAALTER THOMPSON, OF NEWARK, N-EV JERSEY.

MUFFLING ATTACHMENT FOR VIOLINS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 417,292, dated December 17, 1889.

Application filed August 8, 1889. Serial No. 320,160. (No model.)

This invention relates to an improved mufling attachment to violins and similar stringed instruments by which the muffling of the sounds of the instrument is effected in an easy and effective manner by the chin of the player, so as to dispense with a separate mute, which has to be placed in position on the bridge of the instrument whenever it is desired to damp the sounds of the strings.

- This putting in position of the mute is always connected with a certain loss of time and inconvenience to the player, as it requires the manipulating of the mute both in putting it on and in removing it from the bridge.

The object of this invention is to overcome the objections to the mute heretofore in use and to supply a conveniently-operated muffling att-achment to violins and similar instruments by which the sounds can be muffled without interrupting the playing of the instrument and without causingV the slightest inconvenience to the player; and the invention consists of a muffling attachment to violins and other stringed instruments composed of muffling-plates, arranged at opposite sides of the bridge, which plates are connected by pivot-rods with a mufling-lever that is fulcrumed to the under side of the tail-piece of the'instrument and operated by the chin of the player. The muftling-lever is retained in a recess of the tail-piece by means of a spring when the mufiing-plates are applied to the bridge, and released from the tail-piece by a downward pressure of the chin and returned into its normal position by a spiral spring located on one of the connecting-rods and interposed between a shoulder on the same and one of the guide-eyes on the tail-piece.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure ld represents a top view of a violin with inyimproved mufling attachment. Figs. 2 and 3 are top views of the mufiiing attachment, drawn on a larger scale and shown, respectively, in position before and While muffling. Figs. 4 and 4 are vertical longitudinal sections on line and 0c x', Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a vertical transverse section on line y y, Fig. 3; and Figs. G and 6 are a detail end view and a vertical section of one of the muffling-plates.

Referring to the drawings, A represents the body of a violin or other stringed instrument 5 B, the tail-piece of the same, and C the bridge of the same. At opposite sides of the bridge O are arranged muffling-plates D D, which are preferably made of hard rubber or other suitable material. Each mufflingplate D is connected by a rod E with a muffling-lever F, which is fulcrumed to the under side of the tail-piece B, the connectingrodsE being pivoted to the levers F equidistantly from its fulcrum, as shown clearly in Figs. 2 and 3. The mufling-plates D D are attached to the outer ends of the connectingrods E, by providing the latter with shoulders d at ashort distance from their-ends and applying a washer d' to the opposite sides of the plates and a screw-nut d2 to the threaded ends of the rods. In this manner them ufflingplates D are supported on the ends of the connecting-rods E E, but have a slight play on the same, so that the muffling-plates can be applied with their entire surface from opposite sides to the bridge O when operated by the mufling-leverF. The muftling-plates D D are re-enforced at their outer surfaces by reenforcing plates of'sheet metal. The muffling-plates can be readily removed and exchanged in case of the breaking of any one of them, the fastening devices facilitating the ready application of the plates to the rods. The connecting-rod of one of the mufingplates passes through one of the opening parts of the bridge without interfering with the same. The connecting-rods E E are guided in suitable eyes e e, which are attached to the under side of the tail-piece B, the openings of said eyes being wide enough to permit the lateral play of the connecting-rods E in following the motion of the muilling-lever F. The mufingdever F is so applied to its fulcrum that besides the oscillating motion on the same parallel to the body of the violin it may also be vibrated up and down, so that IOO the lever can respond to the action of a spring that is attached to the under side of the tail-piece B, and applied by its free end to the under side of the longer arm of the mut'- ling-lever F. The spring f exerts an upward pressure on the lever, so as to cause it to move into a recess f at the underside ofthe tail-piece B whenever the lever F is moved forward by the action of the chin on the same. By this forward motion of the lever F the muiiling-plates are applied to both sides of the bridge C, and thereby the sounds of the strings muffled or damped, as required, by the piece of music to be played by the player. One of the connecting-rods E is provided with a shoulder g and with a spiral spring g', which is interposed between said shoulder and one of its guide-eyes e, as shown in Figs 2 and The spring g serves for the purpose of returning the mutliing-lever and the mutling-plates to their former normal position whenever by the pressure of the chin on the top part oi the mufliing-lever F the same is released from the notch or recess f ofthe tail-piece. The mutiiing-lever is guided by a keeper f2, that is attached to the under side of the tail-piece B, as shown clearly in Fig. at, which keeper limits the motion of the lever in horizontal as well as in vertical direction.

My improved mullling attachment to stringed instruments hasv the advantage that it can be operated with great facility by the chin of the player both in applying the mufiiing-plates to the bridge as well as in removing the same. lt facilitates thereby the muf- Hing of the sounds, as the mute attachment can be operated without interrupting the playing of the instrument and without any inconvenience to the player.

Having thus described my invention, l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. The combination, with the bridge and tail-piece of a violinfor other stringed instrument, of muliing-plates arranged at opposite sides ot' the bridge, and a chin-lever fulcrumed to the tail-piece and connected to the muling-plates for applying the same to or removing them from the bridge, substantially i as set forth.

2. The combination, with the bridge and tail-piece of a violin or other stringed instrument, of muiiling-plates arranged at opposite sides of the bridge, a chin-lever fulcrumed to the under side of the tail-piece, and connecting-rods between the muilling-plate and the chin-lever7 substantially as set forth.

s. The combination, in a violin or other stringed4 instrument, with the bridge and tail-piece of the same, ot muiiiing-plates at opposite sides of the bridge, a chin-lever fulcrumed to the tail-piece, and connecting-rods applied to said muftiing-plates and pivoted at opposite sides of the i'ulcrum of the chinlever, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination, with the bridge and tail-piece of a violin or other stringed instru'- ment, of muilling-plates arranged at opposite sides of the bridge, a chin-lever fulcrumed to the tail-piece, connecting-rods between the muttling-plates and the chin-lever, and means for locking the chin-lever to the tail-piece when the riniliiiiig-pla-tes are applied to the bridge, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination, with the bridge and tail-piece of a violin or other stringed instrument, of muiiling-plates arranged at opposite sides ot' the bridge, a chin-lever fulcrumed to the tail-piece, connecting-rods between the muiiiing-plates and the muffling-lever, eyes on the tail-piece for guiding said connectingrods, means for locking the chin-lever to said tail-piece, and means for returning the lever and muffiing-plates into normal position ou releasing the lever from the tail-piece, substantially as set forth.

(5. The combination, with the bridge and tail-piece of a violin or other stringed instrument, of mu'liling-platcs arranged at opposite sides of the bridge, a chin-lever fulerumed to the tail-piece, colmecting-rods between the inui'tling-plates and chin-lever, a spring for lifting the chin-lever, and a notch or recess at the under side of the tail-piece for engaging the tail-piece, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination, with the bridge and tail-piece of a violin or other stringed instrument, of inu'tfiing-plates arranged at opposite sides of the bringe, a chin-lever fulcrumed to the tail-piece, connecting-rods between the muiiling-plates and chin-lever, a recess in the tail-piece for engaging the chin-lever, a spring' for lifting the chin-lever, and a spri ng for returning the chin-lever into normal position, substantially as set forth.

ln testimony that l claim the foregoing as my invention l have signed my name in presence ot two subsribing witnesses.

ALFRED GARTNER, ADAM HERZINGER. 

